{"id":348783,"date":"2025-08-16T09:18:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T09:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/348783\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T09:18:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T09:18:22","slug":"vice-president-of-german-parliament-in-favour-of-switzerland-joining-eu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/348783\/","title":{"rendered":"Vice-president of German parliament in favour of Switzerland joining EU"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0a1ed21d4018f43b1cb169b892eea6f1c6da005a-89844014.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Bundestag Vice-President brings Switzerland's EU membership into play\" loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"sync\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                &#8220;If our Swiss friends want to move closer to the European Union in these new times, Germany should actively support this,&#8221; said Nouripour.            <\/p>\n<p>            Keystone-SDA        <\/p>\n<p>            Listen to the article        <\/p>\n<p>            Listening the article        <\/p>\n<p>                Toggle language selector            <\/p>\n<ul class=\"read-aloud\/track-selector__options\">\n<li>\n<p>                            English (US)                        <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>                            English (British)                        <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>            Generated with artificial intelligence.        <\/p>\n<p>        The vice-president of the German parliament, or Bundestag, says his country should support closer ties between Switzerland and the European Union against the backdrop of the customs conflict with the United States. Omid Nouripour even spoke of a possible &#8216;turbo accession&#8217; to the EU for Switzerland.\n<\/p>\n<p>        This content was published on    <\/p>\n<p>        August 16, 2025 &#8211; 10:41\n<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/latest-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe German government should offer Switzerland the opportunity to deepen cooperation quickly, right up to Switzerland\u2019s turbo membership of the EU,\u201d the Green politician told the German news agency DPA.<\/p>\n<p>Nouripour added: \u201cIf our Swiss friends want to move closer to the European Union in these new times, Germany should actively support this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smaller states vulnerable<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor centuries, the Swiss have cultivated a tradition of strict neutrality,\u201d said Nouripour. \u201cHowever, the recent customs dispute with [US President] Donald Trump painfully shows how vulnerable smaller states are when they are left to their own devices. Politically neutral, economically global: that is no longer possible in the new age.\u201d It is not possible, he said, in a world in which reliable rules are increasingly threatened by the law of the jungle.<\/p>\n<p>\n    More<\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/653894225_highres.jpg\" width=\"1300\" height=\"867\" alt=\"Switzerland remains under economic pressure from the United States following the announcement of the so-called &quot;Liberation Day&quot;.\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Swiss diplomacy\n    <\/p>\n<p>        How Trump is manoeuvring Switzerland closer to the EU    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 8, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The steep US tariffs of 39% have sent shockwaves through Switzerland. They give a boost to those who advocate closer ties with the EU.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/swiss-diplomacy\/how-trump-is-manoeuvring-switzerland-closer-to-the-eu\/89802007\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: How Trump is manoeuvring Switzerland closer to the EU<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSwitzerland may be rich, but it is also at the mercy of the arbitrary play of the big players. The EU may not be the best choice from a Swiss perspective, but it is far more reliable,\u201d said the German parliamentarian. Switzerland would undoubtedly be a gain for the EU, but the EU also has a lot to offer Switzerland in times of necessary cohesion, he added.<\/p>\n<p>Social Democrat also open<\/p>\n<p>Markus T\u00f6ns, a European policy spokesperson for the Social Democratic SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, had previously expressed his openness to Switzerland becoming the 28th member of the European Union. \u201cIf Switzerland applies to join the EU, it would be very welcome,\u201d Mr T\u00f6ns told Der Spiegel.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/business\/why-switzerland-doesn-t-want-to-join-the-european-union\/47391050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">+ Why is Switzerland not in the European Union?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Closer cooperation with the EU<\/p>\n<p>Trump has imposed a 39% tariff on imports from Switzerland, which has been in force since August 7. A tariff of 15% applies to most products from the EU. In response to the US tariffs, Switzerland has called for greater cooperation with the EU, among other things. However, accession to the EU is not on the cards. Instead, the treaty package with the EU is being debated.<\/p>\n<p>In a recent interview, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis emphasised the need for agreements with the EU. This should secure trade and guarantee stability, said Cassis in an interview with Le Temps on Saturday. He also said that relations with the US remain important, but that Switzerland has no friends, only interests.<\/p>\n<p>Translated from German with DeepL\/gw<\/p>\n<p>                How we work            <\/p>\n<p>We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.<\/p>\n<p>If you have any questions about how we work, write to us at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/foreign-affairs\/bundestag-vice-president-brings-switzerlands-eu-membership-into-play\/mailto:english@swissinfo.ch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">english@swissinfo.ch<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>        Articles in this story    <\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/91785ca82e625a7aef80623654a7bc5e12dd8697-89842974.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"The founder of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, cleared of any wrongdoing\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Workplace\n    <\/p>\n<p>        Larry Finck and Andr\u00e9 Hoffmann named new co-chairs of WEF board    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 16, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The WEF also revealed an investigation commissioned by the board has cleared its founder Klaus Schwab and his wife of accusations made by anonymous whistleblowers.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/workplace\/the-founder-of-the-world-economic-forum-klaus-schwab-cleared-of-any-wrongdoing\/89844816?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Larry Finck and Andr\u00e9 Hoffmann named new co-chairs of WEF board<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/435bd74a218243ca7a78961435b52166c05db98a-89840150.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Lindt &amp; Spr\u00fcngli is reportedly considering production of Easter bunnies in the USA\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Lindt &amp; Spr\u00fcngli reportedly considering shifting Easter bunny production to US    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 15, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt &amp; Spr\u00fcngli could relocate the production of its gold-wrapped Easter bunnies to the US in order to circumvent the import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/lindt-spr%c3%bcngli-is-reportedly-considering-production-of-easter-bunnies-in-the-usa\/89840750?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Lindt &amp; Spr\u00fcngli reportedly considering shifting Easter bunny production to US<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/d994ea5e7e5d2efe25e082a64bf2b3faa94acfe5-89838836.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"The ATE launches a petition against the 30 km\/h ban\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Swiss petition launched against curbing 30km\/h speed limit    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 15, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The Traffic Club of Switzerland (TCS) has submitted a petition to the Federal Chancellery, challenging the 30km\/h speed limit on local roads.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/the-ate-launches-a-petition-against-the-30-km-h-ban\/89840795?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Swiss petition launched against curbing 30km\/h speed limit<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/65559ba9dc377af76082b133084dc5b1cbe6b6fb-89839699.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Berne sends emergency aid to fire-stricken Montenegro\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Swiss send emergency aid to fire-stricken Montenegro    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 15, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                Switzerland has sent emergency aid to Montenegro, which has been hit by violent fires.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/berne-sends-emergency-aid-to-fire-stricken-montenegro\/89840793?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Swiss send emergency aid to fire-stricken Montenegro<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/32fc59c3c49613febc540fc30b5c331913d9e993-89839997.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Nicoletta della Valle takes over a caf\u00e9 in Bern\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Former Swiss police chief opens caf\u00e9 in Bern    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 15, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                Nicoletta della Valle has opened a coffee bar in Bern, offering free counselling for various life situations.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/nicoletta-della-valle-takes-over-a-caf%c3%a9-in-bern\/89840751?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Former Swiss police chief opens caf\u00e9 in Bern<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/b52994e84228893689e5c6a9b2460de7b4ef0d32-89838793.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Federal Council and Parliament campaign in favour of abolishing the imputed rental value\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Swiss government backs abolishing imputed rental value    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 15, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The abolition of the imputed rental value in federal tax is intended to reduce incentives for high private debt and simplify the tax system. On Friday, Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter spoke on behalf of the Federal Council in favour of Parliament&#8217;s proposal.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/federal-council-and-parliament-campaign-in-favour-of-abolishing-the-imputed-rental-value\/89839425?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Swiss government backs abolishing imputed rental value<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/db7e547ebe174bf85f2cc736a302679fe734b20b-89838468.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Swiss economy barely grows in the second quarter\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Swiss economy stagnates in second quarter    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 15, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                After a strong start to the year, the Swiss economy has slowed considerably. In the second quarter, gross domestic product (GDP) rose by just 0.1 per cent on an adjusted basis compared to the previous quarter.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/swiss-economy-barely-grows-in-the-second-quarter\/89839426?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Swiss economy stagnates in second quarter<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/e0352750e1ebadebd34c580d831a0b018ad7b267-89836845.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"One-and-a-half-year conditional prison sentence for priest in Ticino\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Swiss priest found guilty of child sex abuse    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 15, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The Ticino cantonal criminal court in Lugano has found a priest guilty of multiple sexual assault and sexual offences with minors. The man was sentenced to a conditional 18-month prison term.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/one-and-a-half-year-conditional-prison-sentence-for-priest-in-ticino\/89838249?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Swiss priest found guilty of child sex abuse<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/39d2e5da6e9ba744712125510dc74fb97f0f4767-89835896.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Maestrani still has chocolate in stock for a few weeks in the USA\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Swiss chocolate maker has only a few weeks\u2019 worth of US stock    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 15, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                Swiss chocolate manufacturer Maestrani has suspended its deliveries to the US since the announcement of the US tariffs.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/maestrani-still-has-chocolate-in-stock-for-a-few-weeks-in-the-usa\/89838128?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Swiss chocolate maker has only a few weeks\u2019 worth of US stock<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/10e93b7e17082b6b670747a28850ea7e3b6d08c4-89837259.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Lucy Liu honoured with the Career Achievement Award in Locarno\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Lucy Liu given career achievement award in Locarno    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Aug 15, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The 78th Locarno Film Festival has honoured US actor and director Lucy Liu with the Career Achievement Award.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/lucy-liu-honoured-with-the-career-achievement-award-in-locarno\/89838129?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Lucy Liu given career achievement award in Locarno<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#8220;If our Swiss friends want to move closer to the European Union in these new times, Germany should&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348784,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5310],"tags":[3907,25481,114105,76393,2000,299,12072,1824,1501,285,95788],"class_list":{"0":"post-348783","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-germany","8":"tag-article","9":"tag-beat-foreign-affairs","10":"tag-beat-global-trade","11":"tag-beat-swiss-position","12":"tag-eu","13":"tag-europe","14":"tag-foreign-affairs","15":"tag-germany","16":"tag-latest-news","17":"tag-politics","18":"tag-sda-ready-to-publish"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115037700711267358","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348783\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}